Upcoming January Events!

by Rachel on January 3, 2014

After a little break from events during the holidays, our January author events are headed your way! If you’re unable to attend an event, but you’d still like a signed copy, you can always call our Will Call Department at (626)449-5320 and we’ll do our best to get you one!

Those wishing to get books signed will be asked to purchase at least one copy of the author’s most recent title from Vroman’s. For each purchased copy of the newest title, customers may bring up to three copies from home to be signed. This policy applies to all Vroman’s Bookstore events unless otherwise noted.Save your Vroman’s receipt; it will be checked when you enter the signing line.

January Events

Sunday, January 5, 4pmKim Gruenfelder discusses & signs Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink (There’s Cake in My Future #2)
In Kim Gruenenfelder’s follow-up to There’s Cake in My Future, all your favorite characters are back and trying to get used to their new lives and new loves. After pulling magical charms from the cake at Nic’s bridal shower, it seems that most of their wishes have come true. Except for Mel, who feels a bit lost and doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life. So, Nic decides that Mel needs new luck in her life and organizes the cake pull again. But after Mel pulls a charm from the cake that she feels doesn’t fit who she is, she realizes that she is the only one who can make a difference in her life. While Mel travels the world and has many amazing and unexpected experiences, she begins to realize that perhaps the cake isn’t wrong after.

Wednesday, January 8, 7pmVroman’s Bookstore introduces UNTUCKED Magazine
UNTUCKED is a brand new magazine based in Pasadena that focuses on showcasing up-and-coming, and occasionally established, writers, artists, and musicians. The inaugural issue features writers Regina O’Melveny, Elana K. Arnold, and Alok Vaid-Menon, as well as Artist-in-Residence Emily Stewart and an interview with alternative-rock band American Authors. With several other contributors, including many Pasadena locals, UNTUCKED aims to place in your hand an actual, printed magazine; something they’re proud of and you can be, too.

Please join the UNTUCKED staff and several of their more local contributors as they celebrate the debut of their magazine. Drinks and desserts will be provided, as well as the opportunity to peruse and purchase UNTUCKED Volume I, Issue I.

Thursday, January 9, 7pmTom Clavin discusses & signs The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold story of Red Cloud, An American LegendThe great Sioux warrior-statesman Red Cloud was the only American Indian in history to defeat the United States Army in a war, forcing the government to sue for peace on his terms. But the fog of history has left Red Cloud strangely obscured. Now, thanks to the rediscovery of a lost autobiography and painstaking research by two award-winning authors, the story of our nation’s most powerful and successful Indian warrior can finally be told.

Friday, January 10, 7pmRobert Evans presents & signs The Fat Lady Sang
Robert Evans was the chief of Paramount Studios in the 1960s and 1970s, and produced many of the most acclaimed and successful films of all time, including The Godfather and Chinatown. In 1998, at the age of 68, he suffered three strokes in rapid succession This sequel to his autobiography, The Kid Stays in the Picture, begins with that crisis and moves back and forth in time as Evans recalls his eventful life as actor, head of Paramount, independent producer, and, lately, comedian and voice-over talent. A long-awaited second work with all the elements of a star-studded blockbuster: glamour and conflict, struggle and perseverance, tragedy and triumph.

Event Details: (updated1/2/14)
– Mr. Evans will only be signing books, he will not be signing memorabilia. No posed pictures, please.

Saturday, January 11, 1:30pmFilofax Extravaganza!Vroman’s Bookstore will be working with Jennifer Reyes, known in the social media world for her blog, Twitter, and Facebook of My Purpley Life, where she demonstrates how to utilize the Filofax planners to their greatest potential and have fun doing it! Jennifer Reyes will be joined with 2-3 other Filofax users to demonstrate different Filofax techniques and share their experiences. We will have our Filofax collection present for you to shop through and explore, as well as spotlight the new styles that have gained tremendous interest with their recent release in 2013.The event is free but space is limited– we still have a few spots available. Kindly RSVP (626-449-5320) as to how many guests will be joining us for this fun filled afternoon!

Sunday, January 12, 3pm
Tom Zimmerman discusses & signs El Camino Real & the Route of the Daylight
Following the treks of the Padres that established the California Missions of the eighteenth century, the story of El Camino Real has become one of the most dramatic of California history. These missions are timeless monuments that offer windows into the fabled history of Southern California and the Great Southwest.

Monday, January 13, 7pmLew Irwin discusses & signs Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times & America’s Forgotten Decade of Terror
Between 1907 and 1911, the United States was hit by the longest period of sustained terrorism in its history. Of more than 200 bombings that were carried out during this period, the most shocking was the dynamiting of the Los Angeles Times building on the morning of October 1, 1910, which killed at least twenty people. Deadly Times tells the fascinating story of the bombing, the search to apprehend the bombers, the issues that polarized the nation, and the dramatic trials that ensued.

Tuesday, January 14, 7pmIshmael Beah discusses and signs Radiance of Tomorrow
Longtime friends Benjamin and Bockarie return to their hometown, Imperi, after the civil war to try to forge a new community by taking up their former posts as teachers. The village is in ruins, the ground covered in bones, and they’re beset by obstacles: a scarcity of food, a rash of murders, thievery, rape, and retaliation. As Benjamin and Bockarie search for a way to restore order, they’re forced to reckon with the uncertainty of their past and future alike.

Wednesday, January 15, 7pmGregory Orfalea discusses and signs Journey to the Sun: Junipero Serra’s Dream and the Founding of California
In the year 1749, at the age of thirty-six, Junípero Serra left his position as a highly regarded priest in Spain for the turbulent and dangerous New World, knowing he would never return. Serra’s mission: to spread Christianity in this unknown world by building churches wherever possible and by converting the native peoples to the Word of God. It was an undertaking that seemed impossible, given the vast distances, the challenges of the unforgiving landscape, and the danger posed by resistant native tribes. Combining biography, European history, knowledge of Catholic doctrine, and anthropology, Journey to the Sun brings original research and perspective to America’s creation story.

Thursday, January 16, 7pmJohn Rizzo discusses and signs Company Man: Thirty Years of Controversy and Crisis in the CIA
In Company Man, John Rizzo charts the CIA’s evolution from shadowy entity to an organization exposed to new laws, rules, and a seemingly neverending string of public controversies. Rizzo offers a direct window into the CIA in the years after the 9/11 attacks, when he served as the agency’s top lawyer, with oversight of actions that remain the subject of intense debate today. Spanning more than three decades, Company Man is the most authoritative insider account of the CIA ever written—a groundbreaking, timely, and remarkably candid history of American intelligence.

Friday, January 17, 7pm
Luis Reyes discusses and signs The Hawaii Movie and Television Book: Celebrating 100 Years of Film Production Throughout the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii played a huge role in the formative years of Hollywood. It shares a legacy that began a hundred years ago with the consolidating of the U.S. film industry on the West Coast at the beginning of the twentieth century and continues to this day. The Hawaii Movie and Television Book documents, with production information and critical commentary, the Hollywood films and television shows made in Hawaii since 1995 to the present while spotlighting significant film achievements of the past. In addition, the book includes an Island film location guide to sites accessible to the general public and a history of the present-day Hawaii film industry.

Saturday, January 18, 4pmCameron Diaz discusses & signs The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing BodyThroughout her career, Cameron Diaz has been a role model for millions of women. By her own candid admission, though, this fit, glamorous, but down-to-earth star was not always health-conscious. Learning about the inseparable link between nutrition and the body was just one of the life-changing lessons that has fed Cameron’s hunger to educate herself about the best ways to feed, move, and care for her body. In The Body Book, she shares her formula for becoming happier, healthier, and stronger in this positive, essential guide that is grounded in science and inspired by personal experience.

Event Details:
– Ms. Diaz will only be signing books, no memorabilila.
– No posed photos.

Tuesday, January 21, 7pmEileen Cronin discusses & signs Mermaid: A Memoir of ResilienceAt the age of three, Eileen Cronin first realized that only she did not have legs. Her boisterous Catholic family accepted her situation as “God’s will,” treating her no differently than her ten siblings. But starting school, even wearing prosthetics, Cronin had to brave bullying and embarrassing questions. She felt most comfortable and happiest relaxing with her girlfriends, imagining herself “an elusive mermaid.” The cause of her disability remained taboo, however, even as she looked toward the future and the possibility of her own family. Reflecting with humor and grace on her youth, search for love, and quest for answers, Cronin spins a shimmering story of self-discovery and transformation.

Thursday, January 23, 7pmBrian Payton discusses & signs The Wind is Not a RiverFollowing the death of his younger brother in Europe, journalist John Easley is determined to find meaning in his loss and heads north to investigate the Japanese invasion of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, a story censored by the U.S. government. While John is accompanying a crew on a bombing run, his plane is shot down over the island of Attu. He survives only to find himself exposed to a harsh and unforgiving wilderness. There, John must battle the elements, starvation, and his own remorse while evading discovery by the Japanese.

Friday, January 24, 7pm
Breaking Into Hollywood as a ScreenwriterWhile it’s said that everyone in Hollywood is working on a screenplay, the reality is that only a small fraction of aspiring writers ever break into the business. How can you increase the odds that you’ll be one of them? Join four professional writers who teach for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program as they talk about their own journeys from aspiring writer to WGA member. They’ll share their insights, advice, and tips for getting one step closer to Hollywood, and talk about their contributions to Cut to the Chase and Inside the Room, two new books on feature film writing and TV writing that belong on every serious writer’s desk.

Participants include:Jon Bernstein – Screenwriter, WGA member who wrote Meet the Robinsons, which won a Heartland Film Award. Mr. Bernstein also wrote the screenplays Ringmaster and Beautiful, starring Minnie Driver, and is a contributing writer to Universal’s The Little Engine That Could (2011). His plays include Blunders and Showcase!(LA Weekly Pick of the Week).

Alison Lea Bingeman – Screenwriter; WGA member who recently wrote the independent feature film thriller Hurt. Ms. Bingeman’s numerous television credits include CSI: Miami, NCIS, Relic Hunter, and The New Outer Limits. Spanning all genres, her work has appeared on CBS, HBO, Lifetime, USA, Nickelodeon, and Showtime.

Richard Hatem – Screenwriter; WGA member who created the ABC/Touchstone television series Miracles and has written/produced episodes of Tru Calling, The Inside, Supernatural, The Secret Circle, and The Dead Zone. Mr. Hatem currently serves as a consulting producer on NBC’s Grimm and serves as consulting producer on ABC’s Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. He is a contributing author to Inside the Room (Gotham Books/Penguin).

Laurence Rosenthal – Independent producer and development executive; WGA member who, as an executive at Woods Entertainment, supervised the development of Scream, Beautiful Girls, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Copland, and Citizen Ruth. Mr. Rosenthal is a recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting and a contributing author to Cut to the Chase (Gotham Books/Penguin).

Saturday, January 25, 4pm UC Irvine’s MFA Program in Creative Writing Group ReadingVroman’s is happy to welcome the MFA Program in Creative Writing of UC Irvine for their first off-campus reading of 2014! They will be showcasing the unique voices of some of the program’s up and coming writers. The reading will feature work by fiction writers Joseph Modugno and Julian Smith-Newman and poets Amy Cannon and Walker Pfost.

Mark Bennett discusses & signs The Big Show: A True Story About a Newcomer & a Hollywood LegendMark takes you along as his unlikely partnership with legendary television producer Fred de Cordova has them navigating the maze that is Hollywood on a quest to sell a series of Variety Concept Specials. From the then NBC Productions to ABC Entertainment, this newcomer opens closed doors and leads you on a backstage tour through the murky waters of the television industry. Mark gives readers first hand “How to’s” from the legend, Fred de Cordova (“How to’s” that apply to life outside the entertainment world as well).

Cheverro Ananse Savage discusses & signs Ananse presents: An Emotional Journey Through Love and Lust
A beautiful collection of love poems with a mix of erotic flavor which will satisfy your palate leaving you fulfilled with a range of emotions. Immerse yourself within the words and allow your imagination to become one with each story.

Thursday, January 30, 7pm Sue Monk Kidd discusses & signs The Invention of Wings at the All Saints Church ForumHetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. On young Sarah Grimke’s eleventh birthday, she is given ownership of ten-year-old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.

Event Details:- This is a ticketed event and will be held at All Saints Church, located at 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena.
– Admission is $27.95 + tax (includes one copy of The Invention of Wings and one ticket). Tickets will be available the day of the book’s release, 1/7/13.
– Please call 626-449-5320 if you have any questions.

Friday, January 31, 7pmJessica Alexander discusses & signs Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid
In this honest and irreverent memoir, Jessica Alexander introduces readers to the realities of life as an aid worker. We watch as she manages a 24,000-person camp in Darfur, collects evidence for the Charles Taylor trial in Sierra Leone, and contributes to the massive aid effort to clean up a shattered Haiti. Tracing her personal journey from wide-eyed and naïve newcomer to hardened cynic and, ultimately, to hopeful but critical realist, Alexander transports readers to some of the most troubled locations around the world and shows us not only the seemingly impossible challenges, but also the moments of resilience and recovery.

Do you have a personal, true story you want to write but are afraid to write it? Afraid to expose your privacy or the privacy of your loved ones, yet you still feel compelled to write it? Then Memoir into Fiction is the class for you. In this class you will learn not only fictional techniques like structure, character development, and dialogue, but also how to turn your own personal story into fiction. Fun, in-class exercises will help you begin the process of fictionalizing your true story. Expect short discussions on technique and optional in-class readings in a safe and supportive environment.

Leslie Schwartz is the author of two literary novels, Jumping the Green (Simon & Schuster, 1999) and Angels Crest (Doubleday, 2004.) Jumping the Green won the James Jones Literary Society Award for Best First Novel and was published in three languages. Angels Crest was a Book Sense 76 pick and was published in nine languages. The film version of the book debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Edinburgh Film Festival in April and June of 2011. It was released and distributed nationally by Magnolia Pictures in January 2012. Recently Schwartz was named Kalliope Magazine’s Woman Writer of the Year. In addition to her novels, Schwartz has published short stories, articles, essays, and book reviews in various newspapers, magazines, and literary journals. Some of these venues include Poets & Writers, Teachers & Writers, Los Angeles Times and Sonora Review.

Events at Vroman’s Hastings Ranch

Join us every Sunday at 4pm at Vroman’s Hastings Ranch for storytime with Bridget!

PostSecret
January though FebruaryWe’ve been inspired by the very popular and intriguing PostSecret by Frank Warren. Help us add to our window display at Vroman’s Hastings Ranch throughout the months of January & February by discreetly submitting your deepest/ darkest secrets with us on a postcard. Periodically drop by & watch our display develop over the next two months!

Events for Kids & Teens

Join us every Wednesday & Saturday at 10am for storytime with Mr. Steve!

Tuesday, January 7, 7pmLissa Price discusses and signs EndersIn the riveting conclusion to the sci-fi thriller Starters, no one is ever who they appear to be. Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael—teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations—Starters who can be controlled and manipulated. Having the chip removed could save Callie’s life—but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Determined to find out who he really is and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even if it kills her. (Ages 12 & up)

Saturday, January 11, 10:30amCraft Time with Jen! Pencil Holders!
Come and make some artistic pencil holders for your loved ones! Whether it is a place for your mom’s pens, your dad’s pencils, or your crayons, these pencil holders will get the job done!

Saturday, January 18, 10:30amSalina Yoon presents and signs Penguin in Love
When Penguin finds a lost mitten on the ice one day, he wonders who it belongs to—after all, every mitten has a mate! Prolific author/illustrator Salina Yoon’s spare text and bright, energetic illustrations bring to life this endearing story celebrating love in its many forms, reminding us that the greatest adventure begins when you find
your other half. (Ages 3-6)